ABOUT THE BOOK

The growth of China`s maritime prowess has been a key facet marking the ascendency of its comprehensive national power. A fact amply indicated both by the articulation of the Chinese leadership and empirical evidences, it flows from Beijing`s realisation of the growing salience of the oceanic realm and the attendant imperative of being strong at sea for China to attain the status of a global power. In recent years, the scale and speed with which, the erstwhile continental power has accreted all facets of its maritime capacity- both civilian and military - has surpassed the best practitioners of the `maritime trade-craft`, worldwide. In this book titled `Maritime Power Building: New `Mantra for China`s Rise`, `Mantra` is an Indian word denoting a sacred utterance, believed to have spiritual power. The book is a collective endeavour of India`s National Maritime Foundation (NMF) and the U.S. Centre of Naval Analysis (CNA). It seeks to collate the academic efforts and perspectives of the two premier maritime think-tanks located on the opposite sides of the globe to examine and extrapolate China`s approach to maritime power building. A key facet addressed is the modernisation of the PLA Navy, which is the final arbiter and preserver of China`s maritime and overseas interests in the extended Indo-Pacific region. The book is aimed at facilitating an understanding of the opportunities and challenges of China`s rise as a maritime power for the region in particular, and for the world at large.

ABOUT Author

Kamlesh K Agnihotri : Commander Kamlesh K Agnihotri is a qualified Gunnery and Missile specialist, and is presently working at the Indian Navy`s Maritime Warfare Centre in the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam. He commanded a ship at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He has also qualified as a Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry expert. He has previously been appointed in the China Desk of the Army Headquarters, New Delhi, and worked as a Research Fellow at the China cell of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. He has authored several articles and commentaries on security issues related to China. He has also presented many papers in India and abroad, including in the US, China and Singapore. He has co-edited two books titled `Security Challenges Along the Indian Ocean Littoral: Indian and US Perspectives` (2011) and `Technological Developments in the Maritime Domain and their Strategic Implications in the Indian Ocean Region` (2013). He has also contributed a chapter in each book. He has also acquired an Advanced Diploma in Chinese language in order to complement his research work. His email id is kkumaragni@gmail.com. Gurpreet S Khurana : Captain Gurpreet S Khurana PhD, is a gunnery and missile specialist of the Indian Navy. Among his various staff and operational appointments, he has held the command of two warships, including the commissioning command of a Fast Attack Craft in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (2002). During his Research Fellowship at IDSA from 2003 to 2008, he specialized in maritime security and China`s maritime strategy, and authored a book titled `Maritime Forces in Pursuit of National Security` (2008). From 2009 to 2013, he served at the Navy`s Maritime Doctrine & Concept Centre (MDCC). He was awarded the Navy Chief`s Commendation for co-authoring the Indian Maritime Doctrine, 2009. At MDCC, he authored several documents on maritime strategy, naval operational concepts and the Navy`s first ever handbook on `Law of Maritime Operations`. He is presently the Executive Director of NMF. His email id is gurpreet.bulbul@gmail.com.